The present invention relates to managing a presentation of images, and more particularly to selecting and displaying images.
Photographs have the power to preserve a moment in time by capturing light and storing the information it contains. The original process for taking photographs was time and resource intensive and involved several pieces of equipment to light the environment, capture the subject matter, and develop the image. As a result, relatively few people could afford photographs for the first few decades following the invention.
As photographic technology progressed with the creation of film, flash, and instantaneous images, photography became more and more accessible until nearly everyone could afford a personal camera that they could use to create their own pictures. The development process for these images was reduced to as little as an hour. The affordability, ease of use, and reduced development time led many people to create personal photo albums to store their pictures. Creating these albums required time and effort in order to select the right grouping and ordering of pictures throughout an album. These albums could then be easily accessed and shown to others, or simply reviewed individually in order to fondly recall people, places, and experiences in one's life.
The nature of photographic technology and the way in which we use it on a daily basis has been revolutionized in recent years. Digital photo technology allows users to instantly create digital images that do not require development, which greatly reduces the cost of each image and allows users to afford many more pictures as compared to film. Due to the widespread use and availability of the internet, users can now upload, store, and access their photos from anywhere with internet connectivity. Users no longer need bookcases full of albums that occupy valuable space to store their images, and therefore the cost of storage has also been greatly reduced. Finally, the mobile and social technology revolution has given people more incentive than ever to capture and share images with others. All of these technological advances combined have encouraged people to upload about two billion new photos to the internet each day, and this rate is increasing as more people gain access to mobile devices and internet connectivity.